2 Thessalonians - Part 3

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 1Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 2not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. 3Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

5Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

Paul is telling the Thessalonians that they must give up their nervous, hysterical waiting for the second coming. He denied that he ever said that the Day of the Lord had come. That was a misinterpretation of his words. He told them that before that happens many other things had to take place.

First there would come an age of rebellion against God. That there was already a secret evil power working in the world. He says the lawless one will come and he will be the incarnation of evil, just as Jesus is the incarnation of good. In 1st John we see this person called the antichrist.

In time the power which is restraining him will be removed. This power is the Holy Spirit and when Christ takes His church up before the tribulation “all hell will break loose.”

This antichrist will be able to perform miracles and the people who don’t believe in God, who had already rejected Christ, will follow the lawless one. But, take comfort in the fact that this man is doomed to destruction. His fate is already sealed. God is in control and nothing can stand against Him! The great question is – whose side are you on? If you are on God’s side, verse 13 tells us how lucky we are and to thank Him!

2 Thessalonians 2:13 13But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.

And in verse 14 God used Paul to tell the Thessalonians His message, the Good News, so that they might share in His Glory.

2 Thessalonians 2:14 14He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has given us the same mission. To tell the world how to find salvation.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:15 he tells them to stand firm in truth: 15So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.